User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
mike singer
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: March 16, 2003

Bottom Line:

I have the alon II (mark i) speakers that i picked up off audiogon for a very good price. I was very surprised when i found their sweet spot in my listening room. the placemet took a little longer than expected. they can be set closer than what you might expect to the side wall due to the dipole design, however they do need to be pulled out from the back wall. Once the sweet spot is found you will know it by when you standup and sit down. what is very nice is the width of the sweet spot, it is very wide so that 2 people can listen no problem.

They are very neutral, dynamic, and musical.

The sound is very close to a magnaplanar but WITH BASS AND DYNAMICS !!!!!!!

The speaker can handle large dynaimic swings with the proper ancillary equipment. They also sound very good at low levels which is amazing ( I can not imagine a well set pair of II's having no bass output. my wife complains that it is shaking the house) the bass is very taut and well defined ( Better than the vandy 2ce imho).
I can not believe how well these speakers image and disappear. They are very coherant from top to bottom. The soundstage and height is limited by the recording. They are very musical and unfatiging, and tonaly very unclored.

I would condsider them a "poor mans " reviewers speaker ( but with soul) and at used prices they are untouchable.I plan on holding on to these babies for a very long time and may eventually consider upgrading the drivers to a mkII status

other notes:

must be biwired ( shotgun or true biwire)

Replace the wood base/spike with vandersteen 1b stand

likes to be set up on the long wall ( i.e wide)

i gave it five stars on the overall - the sound quality is better than expected and only limited by your ancillary gear.

Unbelievable!! Imaging is absolutely amazing. Location of instruments is pinpoint accurate; the degree as to where the image is placed blows me away. Deep, solid, unbloated bass, true-to-life midrange, and detailed but smooth highs!!! I don't quite know what to call it, but this speaker has a level of dynamics that I've never experienced before. When a majority of the members of a jazz band or an orchestra accent a note at the same time, the notes really sound ACCENTED across the whole spectrum of the speaker. I just assumed with my past speakers that you could only get that feeling in live music. My other speakers don't have that level of timing and impact. I've been a jazz musician for 20 yrs, and there are few speakers I've heard that sound as natural as Alon speakers. Again as with all my past speaker upgrades, I now here more from my cd's. All my past speakers now sound veiled. One note though, these speakers need a bit of power. I am currently running a 200 watt/channel RMS (@ 8 ohms). Sounds awesome, but I've never had to turn the volume this high before.

Of all the speakers I've had (and I've had quite a few), this has got to be the best! The soundstaging on these speakers rivals that of the Apogee Slant 6's (which I thought at that time couldn't be paralleled by box speakers in the $2500 range - but I was wrong!) The openness and spatial resolution are exemplary coupled with an extremely neutral midband, clean and extended highs, and a deep and taut bass. Folks, to me, these are all ingredients of all I'm looking for in a pair of speakers. If you can buy a pair for the same price as say a Meadowlark Kestrel, or any of the above speakers I've mentioned, I suggest going with these Alon 2's (mine are not the mark 2's). Highly recommended.The rest of my equipment are:Arcam Delta 290 integrated ampMelos CD2 digital driveEAD DSP7000 mk3Discovery 123 speaker cables, Synergistic Research Kaleidescope interconnects, Tara Labs digital cable.

The best sounding speaker I have ever heard for the price. The open air midrange is amazing. It allows for totaly uncolored midrange production. The bass is tight and accurate. You really must hear these. The highs are open and the soundstage is deep and accurate. The detial is great. They are the best I have heard in the price range.

Yes, speakers are probably the most subjective component in hi-fi. I was looking to replace my Nautilus 804's and was taking suggestions. I happened upon the MK II's from Alon. I went to my local dealer and took a listen to a fully burned in pair that was powered by both solid state and tube gear at different times. The result was nothing spectacular. Two dealers that I spoke to about the Alon's both said and I quote, "Oh, the MK II's will blow away your B&W's". MY POINT IS NOT TO TRASH ALON OR ANY OTHER SPEAKER MANUFACTURER, IT IS SOLELY TO STATE THAT EVERY DEALER IS LOOKING TO SELL SOMETHING. B&W is like taboo to some dealers who state that the are commercial junk with a name. I say nonsense, the Alons only could compare to the B&W's in imaging and tonal balance. I feel the 804's were far superior to the Alons. This is a matter of opinion, MY OPINION! Again, dont take anyone's word when purchasing YOUR gear. I cant stress enough that you have to go out and compare as much gear as you can before you make a purchase. The Alons arent bad if your not looking for good air movement, bass response and soundstaging. Please, form your own opinion. Also, the build quality leaves much to be desired. Listen for yourself.